Day 4. Little Moves.

Before you get all excited, just know that they were each very small routines. One in the morning when I woke up and one just now as I prepare to go to bed.

But it has me thinking about little moves. Small things. In my working world I’m always looking for the “small hinges” that will move big doors. Those are the levers to work first, to create with, to move, to build, to prioritize. And so it is that this yoga goal for 366 (leap year!) days has begun – with small moves.

Tonight I refreshed my goal board. The chalkboard that hangs on my wall in front of me all year long.

It’s a reminder of the promises I make to myself. And there’s a lot of wisdom in that — making a promise to yourself (instead of somebody else).

Much like putting the oxygen mask on yourself before your child in an event of a cabin pressure moment (you know the spiel) – yoga is beginning to look like the small moves that put energy back into my body before I give it all away to the world, work, wonder, worry and all the other whosie-whatsits around me.

If you want to learn more about small hinges, I recommend the book The One Thing.

Little things. Small moves. Big deal.
And with that I feel like I should start saying Namaste at the end of these posts. Maybe I will. Namaste. Namaste? Oh heck, why not….it’s a small move.

Like this:

Today’s bliss…365 days.

It’s that time of year. The last day of the year. Day 365 of this promise and the Year of 2015. And it has me reflecting on what has been and what is to come.

In this year of following my BLISS I have discovered a thing or two. But maybe nothing more important than importance of family in our lives. From heading home to be with my father during his surgery to moving our lives closer to the two little girls that we adore (while they are still little) – it has been a year of reconnection and clarity on the things that are most important in life.

I never could have guessed that the road of 2015 would have led me here. But that is BLISS wrapped up in a nutshell with a ribbon tied on top. In short: knowing what is most important and then doing something about it to make sure you experience it, soak it up and, well, smell the roses.

This year has taught me something else too. Bliss is up to us.

Just this week I had a moment of understanding, a total knowing, of what that means, on the eve of 2016 rounding the corner and 2015 wrapping up. In the eleventh hour really. Right before the party of 2015 wrapped, I had a sense that BLISS is really just up to us. The pressure, the stress, the agony of any moment, or the peaceful bliss of it is a choice. One we make every second of our lives.

I call it being “Peacefully Engaged.” It is the intersection of getting shit done and, at the same time, enjoying the process. Without the pressure. Stress. Agony. Pain. It is being in the BLISSFUL FLOW of it all.

Of course, the hard part is remembering that. I wish I had the key to that door. And while I do not, I have seen it. I have peaked inside. I have a whiff of it, have tasted it. I know it exists.

So maybe, dear 2015, you have really just been a tease. A taste of what can be, of what can happen, of what is available to us all. And that’s where I’m counting on YOU, dear 2016, to set a new pace. One of even more love, more do, more moments, more memories and more bliss than we can imagine.

And I know that starts with me and my new promise. Tomorrow kicks off a new year, and 525,600 more minutes to make new choices.

Like this:

Today’s bliss…wrapping paper.

Tonight I wrapped. And wrapped. And wrapped.

I love holiday wrapping paper. I love paper, period. But holiday paper, it makes me all giddy inside. Like a child.

And with every folded corner and piece of tape, I swear I could see the hands of my mother. Mana Sling, showing me how to crease a corner and fold over an edge to make a package look finished and beautiful and ready for the tree.

And so it is with this year of Bliss. It will be wrapping up soon over these next few weeks. Christmas around the corner. New Year soon after. But the memories will always be wrapped up inside of me with a big, pretty bow. And that is pure bliss.

Like this:

Today’s bliss…the blank side.

It’s really quite amazing, this Star Wars phenomenon. It’s everywhere. Every. Where. And, as Friday gears up to be the single biggest movie of all time first day release EVER, well, I just can’t get enough of the hype.

Including this from my friend and the amazing artist Bren Bataclan.

In this episode you learn how to draw an alien spacecraft in less than a few minutes. But the best lesson of all might be from Bren’s own words:

“Your imagination is the most important tool.”

When it comes to art and life, imagination leads the way. Thanks for the blissful reminder Bren (and Beanie!). Even Walt Disney and his Imagineers knew that. Ironically, Disney now owns the Star Wars franchise.

Which brings me to one of my favorite quotes:

If you can dream it, you can do it.
-Walt Disney
More tomorrow.
Lovemore,
Jamie

As I sit here tonight working and listening to The Voice and waiting for Adele I am struck by the simple truth of music. It moves. It is magic.

And it’s something I don’t really do…all that well. I mean, of course I have some shining moments in the shower or driving in my car – in private – who doesn’t? But I am SO in awe of those who can sing, really sing. It’s amazing to me, the good vibrations with just a few vocal chords.

And it seems not so ironic that it’s that time of year. When people sing out loud. Carol door to door. Sing a happy tune. And share a vibe of bliss.

Year 2: Lovemore+Fearless
2012 sent me rafting down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon where I slept next to scorpions. I tossed my old engagement ring in a fountain in Paris, and swam with sharks in the Bahamas. In the end, I learned more about LOVE than fear.

Year 3: Abundance
My promise in year 3 was to dive deep into abundance, which included a promise to give away a gift a day. Ironically, there was something else in store for me as I found myself moving across the country, having surgery, and giving away my thyroid. It all started a little Card Crusade and my biggest lesson yet was to come in the form of a doozy: health is our greatest wealth. Abundance indeed.

Year 4: Peak Performance
Surprise! 2014 sent me back to the surgical routine. Getting a surprise diagnosis, mastectomy and reconstructive surgery all in one swoop. Overall, it probably saved my life. Ironically, I ended up with two NIKE swooshes in the form of scars across my chest. The sign of Peak Performance?

Year 5: BLISS!
It’s all about that bliss, ’bout that bliss, no trouble. This year was all about FOLLOWING OUR BLISS. And follow it we did…. all the way to Bellingham, WA! Who would have thought? And now… here we are.

Year 6: Yoga for a Year
Yoga every single day. I did it. Really, I did it! Not every single day was amazing but I downward dogged it on planes, trains, across the “plains” crisscrossing this country. What did I learn? To be kinder to myself. And this: just showing up creates miracles (for me that’s Crow!). In the unprecedented events of 2016, I also learned our world needs a whole heaping dose of kindness.

Year 7: Intentional Acts of Kindness
This year’s promise was all about kindness – the intentional kind. We ended up getting married in a surprise pop up ceremony in Estes Park, Colorado. Could there be anything more kind?

Year 8: JOY
How will this year unfold? I have no idea. But I do know this, the magic happens when we make promises and show up. I hope you join me in making promises and reaching your goals too.

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